This Week in Classical Music: February 1, 2021.Nota Bene.Of the great composers, onlyFelix Mendelssohn was born this week.We also celebrate the geniusof Palestrina around this time: he died on February 2nd of 1594 and, according to some sources, only one day before his 69th birthday.Of the composers not as famous, Alessandro Marcello was born on this day in 1673.We’ve written about all of them on a number of occasions, so instead we intended to focus on the interpreters, highly talented in their own right if not as creative.Two phenomenal violinists were born on the same day: Fritz Kreisler on February 2nd of 1875 and Jascha Heifetz in 1901.
But as we were about to write about these great musicians, it occurred to us that we cannot.As much as we love them, we simply cannot when we see what is happening around us.We believe in the utmost importance of music, but we cannot ignore what is happening outside, in the real world.What we see is the attack on the freedom of speech, the most fundamental aspect of our society. And this is an attack on our personal freedom as well.What started with assaults on individuals (shaming and canceling) has now grown into attacks on established media companies and inconvenient social media sites: a literary agent was fired because she used them.Not even for the content of the messages she posted there but for the fact that she used them – not that the former would be much better.Journalists who are prime beneficiaries of the freedom of speech now advocate regulations and censorship.And if you think that freedom of speech is unrelated to freedom of musical expressions, think again.Soviet Union and Nazi Germany are prime examples: in 1930 the Soviet Union cancelled all “bourgeois” music which covered most of what was composed in the 20th century; the Nazis banned all Jewish music – and what is most frightening, people supported these decisions.And now Metropolitan Opera hires a Diversity Officer – actually, the title is Chief Diversity Officer, so we can assume that there will be other diversity officers within the organization.According to the Met, her role would be to “develop new diversity initiatives” and help in “dismantling racial inequalities within the institution.”We are well aware that in the past the Met, like so many other institutions, was racist – the great Marian Anderson was allowed to perform on its stage only in 1955, when she was 58.But that was 66 years ago.Is the role of the Chief Diversity Officer to find a new Leontine Price or a Jessye Norman, who were the greatest American singers to ever perform on Met’s stage?What about Shirley Verrett, Kathleen Battle, Lawrence Brownlee and tens of other wonderful black singer who graced the Met with their art during the last 40 years?During that time the Met had its share of scandals involving singers both white (Angela Gheorghiu) and black (Kathleen Battle) but we never heard any complaints about the company being racist.Did it suddenly turn racist in the last six months?
The role of a Chief Diversity Officer reminds us of the Soviet Union.There, every musical organization, from the Bolshoi Theater to a chamber orchestra, had to have a Party organization, at the head of which stood its Secretary.His or her role was to ensure that only the appropriate music is being played, that Party members are duly promoted, and the unreliable ones wouldn’t be sent on a cherished concert tour in the West.Do we really want to live in a new cultural Soviet Union?
If you wish to share your thoughts, the Contact information is at the bottom of this page.
Current Events 2021
This Week in Classical Music: February 1, 2021. Nota Bene. Of the great composers, only Felix Mendelssohn was born this week. We also celebrate the genius of Palestrina around this time: he died on February 2nd of 1594 and, according to some sources, only one day before his 69th birthday. Of the composers not as famous, Alessandro Marcello was born on this day in 1673. We’ve written about all of them on a number of occasions, so instead we intended to focus
on the interpreters, highly talented in their own right if not as creative. Two phenomenal violinists were born on the same day: Fritz Kreisler on February 2nd of 1875 and Jascha Heifetz in 1901.
But as we were about to write about these great musicians, it occurred to us that we cannot. As much as we love them, we simply cannot when we see what is happening around us. We believe in the utmost importance of music, but we cannot ignore what is happening outside, in the real world. What we see is the attack on the freedom of speech, the most fundamental aspect of our society. And this is an attack on our personal freedom as well. What started with assaults on individuals (shaming and canceling) has now grown into attacks on established media companies and inconvenient social media sites: a literary agent was fired because she used them. Not even for the content of the messages she posted there but for the fact that she used them – not that the former would be much better. Journalists who are prime beneficiaries of the freedom of speech now advocate regulations and censorship. And if you think that freedom of speech is unrelated to freedom of musical expressions, think again. Soviet Union and Nazi Germany are prime examples: in 1930 the Soviet Union cancelled all “bourgeois” music which covered most of what was composed in the 20th century; the Nazis banned all Jewish music – and what is most frightening, people supported these decisions. And now Metropolitan Opera hires a Diversity Officer – actually, the title is Chief Diversity Officer, so we can assume that there will be other diversity officers within the organization. According to the Met, her role would be to “develop new diversity initiatives” and help in “dismantling racial inequalities within the institution.” We are well aware that in the past the Met, like so many other institutions, was racist – the great Marian Anderson was allowed to perform on its stage only in 1955, when she was 58. But that was 66 years ago. Is the role of the Chief Diversity Officer to find a new Leontine Price or a Jessye Norman, who were the greatest American singers to ever perform on Met’s stage? What about Shirley Verrett, Kathleen Battle, Lawrence Brownlee and tens of other wonderful black singer who graced the Met with their art during the last 40 years? During that time the Met had its share of scandals involving singers both white (Angela Gheorghiu) and black (Kathleen Battle) but we never heard any complaints about the company being racist. Did it suddenly turn racist in the last six months?
The role of a Chief Diversity Officer reminds us of the Soviet Union. There, every musical organization, from the Bolshoi Theater to a chamber orchestra, had to have a Party organization, at the head of which stood its Secretary. His or her role was to ensure that only the appropriate music is being played, that Party members are duly promoted, and the unreliable ones wouldn’t be sent on a cherished concert tour in the West. Do we really want to live in a new cultural Soviet Union?
If you wish to share your thoughts, the Contact information is at the bottom of this page.